Using the Bold Reports® MCP Server with AI Assistants

The Bold Reports® MCP Server can be integrated with popular AI assistants, development environments, and autonomous agent platforms. Once configured, AI-powered tools can securely access and manage reporting operations within your Bold Reports® account using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This guide explains the requirements, supported clients, configuration methods, and example prompts for getting started.

Requirements

Before connecting a client to the Bold Reports® MCP Server, ensure the following requirements are met:

Requirement Description
Correct MCP Endpoint The MCP endpoint must be https://mcp.boldreports.com/api/. Requests sent to a mismatched endpoint will be rejected.
Client-Specific Configuration Follow the setup instructions for your chosen client to ensure authentication and MCP configuration are implemented correctly.
Bearer Token Authentication A valid Bold Reports® Bearer token is required to authenticate requests to the MCP Server.
Site URL Header The X-BoldReports-BaseUrl header must be configured with your Bold Reports® site URL.
Connection Validation Use read-only prompts to verify connectivity and permissions before executing actions that create or modify data.

Supported AI Clients

The hosted Bold Reports® MCP Server supports multiple MCP-compatible clients and development environments.

Supported clients include:

  • Visual Studio Code
  • Syncfusion® Code Studio
  • Autonomous agents

All supported clients use Bearer token authentication.

Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code provides native support for remote MCP Servers over HTTPS, making it one of the easiest ways to connect to the Bold Reports® MCP Server.

The recommended approach is to store your Bearer token as an environment variable and reference it within a workspace-level .vscode/mcp.json file or global MCP configuration.

Workspace Configuration

Create the following file:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\mcp.json

Add the configuration below:

{
  "servers": {
    "boldreportsMcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.boldreports.com/api/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:boldreports-token}",
        "X-BoldReports-BaseUrl": "${input:boldreports-site-url}"
      }
    }
  }
}

The promptString inputs ensure that Visual Studio Code requests the Bearer token and site URL securely when establishing a connection.

Security Benefits:

  • Bearer tokens are not stored directly in configuration files.
  • Credentials remain portable across environments.
  • Sensitive information is protected from accidental source control commits.
  • Prevents exposure through git history.

Global Configuration

To make the Bold Reports® MCP Server available across all Visual Studio Code workspaces:

  1. Open the Command Palette.
  2. Run MCP: Open User Configuration.
  3. Add the same server configuration to the user-level MCP settings.
  4. Save the configuration.

This enables the MCP Server globally across all projects.

Verify the Connection

After saving the configuration:

  1. Start Visual Studio Code in the configured workspace.

  2. Open /mcp in the interface.

  3. Verify that the Bold Reports® MCP Server appears as connected.

  4. Confirm that tools are available.

  5. Run a read-only prompt such as:

    List all available reports.

Syncfusion® Code Studio

The Bold Reports® MCP Server can also be configured in Syncfusion® Code Studio.

Configuration Location

Create the mcp.json file in the following location:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Syncfusion Code Studio\User\mcp.json

Configuration Example

{
  "servers": {
    "boldreportsMcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.boldreports.com/api/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:boldreports-token}",
        "X-BoldReports-BaseUrl": "${input:boldreports-site-url}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Security Benefits

  • Secure Bearer token prompting.
  • No plaintext credentials stored in files.
  • Prevents accidental exposure through source control.
  • Supports environment-specific configurations.

Autonomous Agents

The hosted Bold Reports® MCP Server can be used in server-to-server integrations and autonomous AI workflows.

Authentication

Include the Bearer token in the Authorization header with every request using the Bearer scheme:

Example Header:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN
X-BoldReports-BaseUrl: https://{yourdomain}/reporting/api/site/{tenant-name}

Endpoint

https://mcp.boldreports.com/api/

The Bold Reports® MCP Server is stateless and treats autonomous agents and interactive users the same way, making it suitable for:

  • AI workflows
  • Automation platforms
  • Background processes
  • Multi-agent systems
  • Server-to-server integrations
  • Scheduled reporting operations

Example Prompts

Read-Only Prompts

Use these prompts to validate connectivity and permissions before making changes.

  • List all available reports.
  • Show me the report categories.
  • What datasources are configured on the server?
  • Get the details of the Sales Report.
  • List all active users and groups.
  • Show me all scheduled reports.
  • What are the latest report versions?

These confirm that authentication, permissions, and connectivity are working correctly before running action-oriented tools.

Action-Oriented Prompts

Once connectivity is verified, you can perform reporting operations using natural language.

  • Create a new report schedule to email the Sales Report daily.
  • Update the priority of the Customer Analysis report.
  • Export the Annual Report to PDF format.
  • Copy the Dashboard report to the Finance category.
  • Create a new user account with report access.
  • Add a user to the Reports Managers group.
  • Configure user permissions for the Sales Dashboard.
  • Update the SMTP email settings for scheduled deliveries.
  • Add a new datasource for the data warehouse.
  • Publish the Monthly Report to the external Bold Reports® site.

Best Practices

To ensure safe and reliable automation:

  • Validate your connection with read-only prompts first - Test basic retrieval operations before attempting modifications.
  • Protect Bearer tokens and never expose them publicly - Treat tokens like passwords; store them securely.
  • Use least-privilege access wherever possible - Create users with only the permissions they need.
  • Review client-specific authentication settings carefully - Ensure headers and endpoints are correctly configured.
  • Consider requiring human approval before executing actions - Especially for operations that create, update, or delete reports and schedules.

For workflows that modify reporting data, such as creating schedules, updating reports, or changing permissions, a human confirmation step is recommended, especially when the Bold Reports® MCP Server is used alongside other MCP Servers or automation tools.

By following these recommendations, you can confidently integrate AI assistants and autonomous agents with Bold Reports® while maintaining security, accuracy, and operational control.